Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who was among a group that refused to stop throwing rocks at passing drivers on a road in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said on Saturday.

Palestinian officials said a 16-year-old had been killed.

The army said a number of suspects had hurled rocks "endangering civilians" who were driving on a main road near the city of Ramallah.

"Soldiers at the scene operated to stop the suspects in accordance with standard operating procedures, using live fire as a last resort," it added.

The mayor of Silwad, a Palestinian village nearby, said residents had "announced a general strike in the village denouncing this crime".

- Reuters